Short and to-the-point reviews for games, movies and more

The Fishtank: Batman v Superman v Good Decisions

FULL SPOILERS FOR BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE FOLLOW.

As my review may have made obvious, there were lots of issues with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But rather than simply dismiss it as horrible and move on with my life, much like Bane, I want to break things down even further. But rather than include things like the horrible music choices, or the ADHD scene changes, I want to note the things which could have been avoided, or have a potential fix. So, whilst I have always hated the idea of writing lists, here are the four biggest problems I had with the film, with a few examples of how I think they could have been fixed.

1. Lex Luthor

Whether it’s movies, comics, video games or anything in between, a hero is only ever as good as their villain. And in the case of Batman v Superman, the villain was, plain and simple, irredeemably bad. Lex Luthor, here presented as the son of our well known, bald headed egomaniac was closer to something resembling Heath Ledger’s Joker than any version of Lex Luthor I have ever read or seen.

Bryan Cranston (left) or JK Simmons could both be a classic Lex Luthor

It is still plausible to fix this, however. A minor(ish) retconning of Luthor Jrs father being imprisoned for life rather than dead could see the introduction of the classic villain we know. Early reports of Bryan Cranston as Lex are still a great idea to me, although I would have always pegged Cranston as Commissioner Gordon. However, Gordon’s role has since been filled by (long time favourite) JK Simmons. If the performance of this film is going to change anything, I’d be more than down for JK Simmons as Lex Luthor, and Cranston fulfilling his role as Gordon in the inevitable Batman film. But of course, a new Lex Luthor may not even be necessary, if the universe is expanding to include all of the other heroes…

2. Justice League cameos, unnecessary dream sequences

From the very first jump-scare dream sequence, it is clear that things in this movie may not be as they seem. Whether the mausoleum scare was supposed to be Man-bat, or just a bat, it showed the audience that what the characters are seeing may not always be real. The main sequence, perhaps more of a premonition (given to Bruce by Flash or otherwise) seems to take place in the Injustice universe, where Superman has gone full-dictator mode after the implied death of Lois Lane. The Omega symbol in the desert and the winged parademons (though they appeared very human) are obvious nods to big-bad Darkseid, also hinted at by Luthor in his cell at the end of the film. Basically, this sequence, as much fun as it was, was not necessary unless we are actually getting an Injustice version of the world in the future.

Note the OMEGA symbol seemingly burned into the ground

Similarly, as much as I loved the Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg (the latter of which also featured another nod to Darkseid in the form of the black, shifting, Mother Box) they were very out of place and may have worked better as a post-credits teaser. The Flash security tape in particular was especially egregious for Flash to be caught on. The scene was done first, and done significantly better, in Pixar’s The Incredibles. The Aquaman vignette was my personal favourite, though I can’t help but feel it was a missed opportunity for Aquaman to make a proper appearance near the end, as Lois was drowning.

The final moment came in the form of Superman talking to his adoptive father, atop a snowy mountain peak. This scene was presented as a far more metaphorical conversation, compared to the literal dreams Batman experienced. Kevin Costner’s return was a surprise to me, but overall I felt this scene was just as unnecessary as the Batman episodes.